The presidents, the royalty and a multitude of simple mourners said goodbye to Pope Francis on Saturday at his funeral, where a cardinal said the legacy of the pontiff of caring for migrants, oppressed and the environment should not die with him.
On one side of Francis’s coffin in the vast San Pedro Square, he sat down to the president of the United States, Donald Trump, who had faced the Pope on those issues.
“Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today’s challenges, Pope Francis really shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time,” said Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who presided over the funeral mass.
The Argentine Pope, who had reigned for 12 years, died at the age of 88 on Monday after suffering a stroke.
The crowd, which crowded the square and the roads, applauded when he talked about Francis’s attention to immigrants, his constants pleasant for peace, the need for negotiations to end wars and the importance of the climate.
They applauded out loud at the end of the service when the accommodators collected the coffin and tilted it slightly so that more people could see, the church bells were put in the background.
The coffin was placed in a popemobile of the head open and took through the heart of Rome to the Major Basilica of Santa María, with thousands of people aligning the route.
Francis, who rejected much of the pomp and privilege of the papacy during his 12 -year reign, had asked to be buried there instead of in the crypt of San Pedro, which is the traditional resting place for the potatoes.
“Thank you, thanks, thanks,” a woman of the crowd shouted.
The air views of the Vatican during the funeral showed a mosaic of colors: black of the dark attire of the world’s leaders, red of the clothes of about 250 cardinals, the purple used by some of the 400 bishops and the white used by 4,000 priests served.
The choirs sang hymns and Latin prayers were recited in several languages, including Italians, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese and Arab, which reflect the global reach of the Roman Catholic Church of 1.4 billion members.
The Vatican estimated that more than 250,000 people attended the ceremony, which lasted two hours.
Among the heads of state that flew to Rome were the presidents of the United States, Ukraine Argentina, France, Gabón, Germany, Philippines and Poland, together with the prime ministers of Great Britain and New Zealand, and many realists, including the King and Queen of Spain.
Francis’s death marked the beginning of a meticulously planned transition period, marked by the old ritual, pomp and duel. In the last three days, around 250,000 people appeared beyond their body, presented before the altar of the Cavernosa Basilica.
The faithful rushed to the Vatican from the first hours, while many camped to try to secure places in the front of the crowd.
“When I arrived in the square, the tears of sadness and also the joy approached. I think I really realized that Pope Francis had left us, and at the same time, there is joy for everything he has done for the church,” said a French pilgrim, Aurelie Andre.
Tradition of rupture
Francis, the first non -European Pope for almost 13 centuries, fought to remodel the Roman Catholic Church, on the side of the poor and marginalized, while challenging rich nations to help migrants and reverse climate change.
“Francis left everyone a wonderful testimony of humanity, a holy life and universal paternity,” said a formal summary of his papacy, written in Latin, and placed next to his body.
The traditionalists retreated their efforts to make the church more transparent, while their supplications of conflict, divisions and unbridled capitalism often fell into deaf ears.
The Pope brought his desire of greater simplicity in the papacy at his funeral, having rewritten the elaborate funeral rites of books previously used.
He also chose to give up a centenary practice of burying potatoes in three intertwined coffins made of cypress, lead and oak. Instead, it was placed in a single zinc lined wood coffin, which was sealed closed during the night.
In an additional break with the past, he will be the first Pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century, preferring St. Mary Major, about 5.5 kilometers from San Pedro.
His grave only has “Francisco”, his name in Latin, registered at the top. A simple and iron -plated crossing that used to use around its neck hangs on the marble slab.
Italy set up one of the largest security operations that the country has seen since the funeral of John Paul II. He closed the airspace over the city and called additional security forces, with anti -aircraft missiles and patrol boats that protect the event.
As soon as Francis is buried, attention will change to whom it could happen.
It is unlikely that the secret conclave to choose a successor begins before May 6, and may not start for several days after that, giving time to the cardinals to hold regular meetings in advance to join and evaluate the state of the Church, harassed by financial problems and ideological divisions.
